


New Feeling

by FreakyPseudWriter



Category: Naruto
Genre: Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fever, Fever Dreams, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Nightmares, Sleepy Cuddles, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27302146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakyPseudWriter/pseuds/FreakyPseudWriter
Summary: Kakashi getting injured? Nothing new. Basically fleeing the hospital? Also, nothing new. But you taking care for him, watching over him while a fever wrecks his body and hearing him talk in his sleep, that is new.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Reader, Hatake Kakashi/Reader
Comments: 24
Kudos: 231





	New Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! :D Another shorter one-shot, something cute and sweet and with only a little angst. Actually, this was a request here on AO3, one which I accepted because it was such a cute idea I couldn't resist <3
> 
> Robinreading, I hope you see this as this is your idea. I don't know if you have an AO3 account or not (as you were a guest at the time you brought your request to me) so I will use this small space to thank you for your patience with me and hopefully wish that you will like this request ;D
> 
> To all of you, have a good Halloween day/evening/night, stay safe and sound and a wonderful week!
> 
> I have a questionnaire running atm for a 1000 Follower Tumblr Celebration and it's about which fic of mine will be reworked and printed out as a little booklet and I would be happy if some more people would throw in their opinion[ here ](https://forms.gle/t5cCfzhj9SjkA6HP9). Thank you for your time!

“Promise me you come back alive,” gently, you tugged at Kakashi’s sleeve, “or I won’t cook your favorite food ever again.”

“Maa, you’re so mean to me.” Beneath his mask, you were sure Kakashi was smiling, even though you could only see a hint of amusement in his eyes as he shouldered his backpack. “Don’t worry. It’s just a C-rank mission with the children. Easy enough.”

“I know what your “easy enough” looks like.” 

“I know.”

You placed your hands in the crook of your hips. “Then, why do you think I would be calmed by that statement?”

This time, Kakashi’s smile reached his eyes; small crinkles appeared at the corners, indicating the quick quirk of his lips. “Because I like to torment you. You should’ve realized that by now.”

Harmless banter. Definitely less harmful than the words you threw at his head before he found the guts to ask you out; before he approached you at your desk in the mission room and slipped you a note to ask for a date; and before you find out what the hell his deal was in always handing drenched, destroyed, burned or otherwise inadequate reports—

Before this strange relationship happened; whatever it was. 

“Torment.” Huffing, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Funny. Remind me to pay you back for the months of torment you subjected me to.”

“Something I will do right after I come back from this mission.”

“You better do.”

“I will.”

Kakashi kept on smiling underneath his mask; the usual mask on top of his other masks: nonchalant happiness to distract his friends from knowing what was going on underneath. One day, you would also find out what was going on underneath, but not today.

Today, it was time to see Kakashi off for the first time since you had… this. It was strange to think about it, that you went to care so much about Kakashi in the matter of a few months that you asked him if you were allowed to send him off. 

And he did. Strangely enough, he did allow you inside his flat, allowed you to watch while he packed the very last necessities for this trip, and allowed you to playfully mock him throughout the entire duration of it. 

Now, he was ready to go. Time to say your final goodbyes, as Kakashi would meet his team of loud and obnoxious, yet lovable genin at the front gates of Konoha. No privacy for this fresh thing you had going on. 

“So…” You reached out to gently fix the hem of Kakashi’s vest. So close to touching him, but you didn’t dare to do that yet. “When is the estimated return again?”

“In a week.”

“Where are you going?”

“The very outskirts of the Fire Country. Something about bandits bothering the small village.”

“No other information?”

“Nothing but the tales of the villagers.”

You scowled at his lighthearted words. “I don’t like this.”

Kakashi shrugged, but lost the earlier amusement so suddenly that you realized it all had been an act to calm you down. “Me neither. However, I’m confident in my team and that we can fulfil the mission. Don’t worry about me.”

“And yet, I do.” 

You never had the pleasure before of seeing Kakashi stunned. His eyes grew wide, his entire stance lost its tension, and even his hair seemed to deflate just the tiniest bit. It was an honor to see this, and an even greater honor to be the very cause. 

“You better go and meet your team,” you smiled at him, warm and caring and full of feelings you didn’t know where to put them, “or you will be late. Later than usual, at least.”

~ X ~

Of course, it didn’t go well. First off, Team 7 didn’t return on time. One week after they departed: nothing. Two weeks later: still nothing. In the middle of the third week, Team 7 finally showed up, with a wrecked, dirty, chakra-drained and (on top of all that) injured Kakashi hanging between Naruto’s and Sasuke’s shoulders. Hell, his feet uselessly shuffled over the ground when you ran towards them, but nothing else happened. 

Secondly, when Kakashi was admitted to the hospital and they discovered the huge, nasty gash of infected tissue on his back, a team of no less than three medic shinobi had to work on him. 

And third, after the medics deemed Kakashi healed enough to leave the hospital, you somehow carried him into his flat and prepared yourself for a long night. He spontaneously developed a fever; high enough to worry you the tiniest bit, but not high enough to make you run to the hospital to grab a medic. It was just a fever, one you could hopefully treat with care, cold wraps and enough worry to last you a lifetime. 

“You stupid idiot,” you mumbled while your hand seemed like ice against Kakashi’s forehead. “Gotten yourself this hurt again and now, you suffer for your recklessness.”

Of course, he didn’t answer. It was impossible after all—when he was unconscious. Worry rose once more when you spotted the cold sweat on his forehead, the matted hair sticking to his head, and the pained expression on his face. With practiced motions, you wiped away some of the sweat and dropped the cloth back into the bucket of ice water. 

“What were you doing…?” A rhetorical question. With a heavy sigh, you reached over to brush your fingertips over his heated forehead. “What am I supposed to do with you…”

No answer. Another sigh and you went back to the chair beside his bed, cracked open one of the silly romances you found which weren’t Icha-Icha themed and continued to watch over Kakashi. 

A thankless job, but also a task nobody had done in a long time. Everyone in the village knew parts of the tragic history of the Hatake Clan. The slow deterioration of the bloodline, the farming background, the switch to the profession of a shinobi, the crumbling of the main family, and the suicide of Sakumo Hatake from the shunning of the village. These were the parts that were now taught in the shinobi academy; an important lesson about clan history and a real-life, close-up example of what could happen to the system of clans if nobody watched over them. 

Small bits and pieces of the Kanabi Bridge were spilled over the years you worked as a chunin yourself—how Kakashi became jonin at a young age, the tale of how he got his Sharingan, the rumors about killing his friends one by one until he was the only one left. Until now, you didn’t dare ask him, but after getting to know him and a careful break-in into the record rooms of all the missions done up until that point, as well as a peek into the sealed file about the battle of Kanabi Bridge, made you realize how wrong the people were, how wrong the rumors were, and how wrong your own impression of him had been.

Foremost, Kakashi was one thing: alone. Alone all the time. No family, just a few friends, and nothing more. He spent most of his days either on training or at the memorial stone, where he conversed with the ghosts of his long-gone friends and sensei. That he even came up to you and asked you out was a miracle in itself, to be honest. 

Kakashi had nobody to look out for him. And if you decided that this—whatever it was—was worth it, then it would be your job to make sure he didn’t overexert himself. 

One glance at the sleeping figure and a little smile flashed over your face. Yeah, you really would like to take care of him from time to time. 

After a few chapters of the book (the heroine just went on a date with her rival to fool her ex into thinking she was over him), Kakashi mumbled something.

“What?” You lowered the book back into your lap as you peered through the dim darkness at Kakashi. “Are you awake? Are you alright?”

Nothing. Maybe he was just talking in his sleep? An unusual trait for a shinobi, especially as high-ranked as Kakashi, but there existed stranger things. 

Just when you picked the book up again, Kakashi’s voice drifted through the room. A single, clear word. A word which sent cold shivers down your spine.

“Help…”

Help. Instantly, you dropped the book and checked on the man. Nothing was amiss about him though. In his fever-riddled sleep, Kakashi pushed aside the two blankets you had draped over him a few hours ago when he had shivered like a dog out in a cold winter night. Now, he was sweating, some muscles twitching beneath the too-hot skin and eyebrows furrowed like he was in pain. As you closed the space between yourself and the bed, he was mumbling yet again; broken sentences, jumbled words and hasty syllables, swallowed by sleep and fever. “No… No, don’t want to… No, leave me… Please… No (Y/N), not…”

Why was he talking about you? In that way, no less? It almost sounded like…

“Leave her… alone, alone! Please, no more… Take me instead," Kakashi whimpered, his entire lanky body curling up into a tight ball. “Take me, don’t… hurt her, no. Don’t leave me…”

When your mind finally caught up with what he possibly dreamed of, burning tears stood in your eyes. Quickly, you wiped them away and reached out, a sting in your eyes and an indescribable ache in your heart. “Sssh.” Your fingertips stroked over his forehead and swiped away some of the sweat-soaked strands, “It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is alright.” 

Again, Kakashi whimpered. Wordlessly, like a dog. No amount of simple touches would fix that. 

_He isn’t sick._

_If I’m careful, I could…_

Yes, if you were careful. That a fever wrecked through his body and made him dopey, made even a bit sleepier. That would help. It had to help. 

The bed was just wide enough for two people, thankfully. Always, always carefully, you scooted beside Kakashi under the covers. The only thing you discarded were your chunin vest and the light mesh shirt underneath, leaving the black, long-sleeved shirt and your long pants. That would’ve been a bit too much skin revealed, considering Kakashi was also mostly naked, safe for his mask and a pair of light pants. 

As you slipped beneath the covers, the first thing you noticed was the overwhelming heat the man exuded. Instantly, you started to sweat as well and kicked one of the blankets off in response. The movement caused you to press your side into Kakashi’s flank, who instantly responded.

His arms snapped upwards, his fingers like steel on your upper arms. He was awake in an instant, just barely enough to defend himself from the supposed danger. His eyes were barely open; his gaze unfocused as he looked straight at your face. So close, only parted by the mask and a few inches of air between the two of you. 

“Kakashi, it’s me. (Y/N),” you added after a few seconds of empty staring on his part. “You’re back from your mission. It’s fine. You’re safe.”

More tense seconds passed in which Kakashi stared at you with eyes half-open and bleary. Then, just when you thought you had to free yourself forcefully, he nodded and relaxed back into the pillows.

“Sorry for waking you up,” you mumbled, “but you had a nightmare and it seemed bad. Bad enough to warrant disturbing you.”

“Mhmm…” Surprisingly enough, Kakashi didn’t answer. At least, not verbally. With a sudden twist of his body, he rolled around and forced his leg to hook over your thighs, accompanied by more weak mumbles you didn’t understand and a wide yawn. His nose was suddenly in the nape of your neck, nuzzling and searching for more contact, huffing and smelling and also scenting you. His breaths ghosted in warm waves over your neck, making you tremble now out of reasons entirely different than before.

While you were secretly panicking, Kakashi had more plans with you. Still sleepily mumbling your name, his arm came to a rest over your chest. 

He was trying to spoon you, clumsily and always searching for innocent contact. 

The high-and-mighty Kakashi Hatake, trying to spoon you while he was recovering from a fever his own recklessness got him in. You smiled as the affection warmly rose in your chest, and from there, it spread into your arms and legs. Kakashi wanted to cuddle with you and that was already so much more than you could ask for. It was adorable— _he_ was adorable just like this. 

Still grinning from ear to ear, you slowly turned in Kakashi’s arms until you could see his face. Now, he looked relaxed, serene almost to the point where you asked yourself if you had dreamed that nightmare up out of your silent, weak hopes. But no, even when your eyes slowly and groggily fluttered open and close, you were still in Kakashi’s bed and the man was still tightly wrapped around you. 

Definitely a good way to fall asleep. You could get used to this. 

Maybe next time though, with a Kakashi who was less feverish and also less clothed.

~ X ~

Drained chakra left one dead to the world most of the time; with the weariness of an old man residing in his bones and a deep ache in his muscles telling him that he couldn’t continue doing this like he was still a teenager. For the village though, Kakashi would—no matter how big the consequences were. They weren’t even that much of a hassle to deal with, so it was not a problem.

There wasn’t anyone waiting for him at home, anyway.

Today was no different. He woke up alone, his bones aching and his right hand tingling like lightning was still running through his veins. The faint scars even seemed to glow faintly in a faint blue when Kakashi blinked, revealing his Sharingan to the world just for a bit too long. 

For a moment, he stared at his hand. Scarred, calloused, and trembling faintly under his watchful eye. The hand of a killer, and yet…

—and yet, he had found the strength and courage to write a note with these bloodstained hands. The sudden boost of recklessness got him to actually hand in said note instead of ripping it into pieces like the other ten or so he had written, all trying to ask out one very special person. You were a feisty chunin who never took any of his weak excuses for the inadequate reports into consideration, that didn’t allow him to get away with said cheap excuses, and always dared to challenge him whenever he entered the mission room. You were so much fun to be around, as he poked holes in your usually-uptight armor you carried around like a badge, and seeing you growing irritated and red-faced. 

Speaking of, he should probably get up and get dressed, so he could fulfil the promise he made to you and officially return without getting dragged along the way by his students. As smoothly as he could, Kakashi moved out of the bed. His bare feet hit the cold floor, but he didn’t care. A few steps over to the dresser, and he was in the middle of dressing himself. Nothing but another, fresher pair of pants and a black undershirt. The high neckline he usually used to cover his face dangled around his neck as he made his way into the kitchen to get fresh coffee and then maybe go out to be fashionably late for a meeting with you. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t get that far.

In the middle of his living room stood Itachi Uchiha. His black coat with the telltale red clouds billowed behind him, and one arm thrown over the backrest of a chair. One of Kakashi’s kitchen chairs, to be exact. And in that chair sat…

You. Your arms tied to the armrests, face bloody and bruised, your nose looked like it was crooked, one finger of your left hand did as well. Kakashi’s heart stopped. He just froze by the doorframe, trying to wrap his slow mind around the fact that Itachi was in his flat. 

This couldn’t be happening.

But it was. Even the smell was right. Copper for blood, smoke for Itachi, and the usual scents of dog and kunai oil resembling his flat. 

This was real. His heart rate skyrocketed. Finally, his brain sped up. 

“Itachi,” he growled while easily falling into a fighting stance, “what are you doing here?”

“Something I should’ve done a long time ago.” 

The Uchiha didn’t say anything else. His Sharingan came to life, the three black dots swirling lazily in the endless sea of red. Too late—Kakashi realized—way, way, _way_ too late. He had looked straight into the eyes of the murderer of the Uchiha Clan; a mistake people made before they died a long cruel death. 

But he didn’t die instantly. Nothing seemed to happen; nothing but Itachi calmly slipping out of his coat, revealing the simple black clothes underneath; nothing but you silently begging Kakashi to do something, _anything_ , with a simple move of your eyes. And Kakashi? Kakashi couldn’t do anything. He was rooted to the spot and could only watch how Itachi dared to touch you. Just one finger, but one finger was one too many. It was enough to make you cry out against the gag in your mouth, enough to make more tears spill out of your eyes, and enough to make Kakashi want to move his legs. 

_Move_ , he begged them as he could only stare at Itachi’s back and listen to your increased cries. _Move, please! I have to save her. I have to save the only thing which is good in my life right now! Please, let me move!_

Nothing. Not one muscle. Itachi’s gen-jutsu had done something terrible to Kakashi. He made him watch while torturing his girlfriend. His only fear was being unable to help his loved ones—not being fast enough, not being strong enough, not being _enough_ to help—! 

Your screams rang in his ears, terribly shrill and high. He needed to cover his ears, but Itachi had not even granted him that mercy. He could only stand and stare, and watch helplessly while Itachi—!

The kettle whistled. Abruptly, Kakashi sat up. He was still in his bed with two blankets covering his legs and lower body. His mind raced through the strange changes made in his bedroom. A chair stood beside his bed with one of his books splayed out on top of it. Some of his stuff on the nightstand had been pushed aside, probably that someone could place some of their personal belongings there. And his pillow… 

Leaning over the fabric, Kakashi took a deep inhale. The scent, so familiar. He knew that scent; knew who smelled like that. He loved that scent, in fact, loved it just like the person that scent belonged to.

You just walked into the room, cursing under your breath when you saw Kakashi was already awake. “Oh fuck. Sorry. The kettle, right?”

“Mhmm.”

“Not my intention, I swear. I thought I turned it off, but then it whistled like a moon-crazed wolf. I hope you like green tea.” You held a tray in your hands, filled to the brim with stuff Kakashi almost didn’t recognize: some old plates he never used and an omelette delicately placed right in the middle of the fine porcelain. Like clockwork, his stomach grumbled loudly in the silence, which made the small lopsided smile appear on your face, resulting in him smiling as well. 

“Hungry, aren’t we? Understandable, after your chakra depletion and the infection of your wound.”

“Are the kids alright?”

You waved over your shoulder. “Oh, yeah. They are fine. While they waited outside your hospital room, they complained the entire time. Didn’t stop them from waiting though.”

“Good.” Slowly, Kakashi sunk back against the headrest of his bed. “That’s… good.”

Everything was alright. You were safe and sound, Itachi was nowhere to be seen, and he was back home. Back home, with you. He had to tell himself that. Over and over.

You were here, with him. He wasn’t alone. He wasn’t alone anymore. 

It was a bad dream and nothing else. Kakashi closed his eyes for a second, relishing in the moment of safety. He wanted nothing but that. Nothing but this feeling he had craved for so long.

The sound of you wandering around his bedroom, the scent of the omelette and green tea, the little hum under your breath you probably didn’t even realize you were making. All of that meant home to him. Could mean home, if he dared to reach out and be brave. 

“I hope you can keep the solid food down for now,” you continued on, now at the right side of the bed, “the doctors said you could, but they also said the fever shouldn’t be too bad and you were pretty out of it.”

“How bad was it?”

“A bad dream.” You shrugged weakly, but there was still the worry shining oh-so-clearly out of your eyes. “Nothing else. Though, I worried a bit.”

“That much that you slept in my bed? With me?”

He hit the nail right on the head. Kakashi saw it, in the way you suddenly stilled in the middle of placing the tray on the spot you freed for exactly that tray. Your fingers clawed into the wood, only to relax suddenly. Then, you threw a careful glance at him, your face red and your front teeth digging into your bottom lip. An adorable look, one Kakashi didn’t want to miss in his life. His own Sharingan snapped open, swirling lazily, and when you noticed what was going on, you turned away, even redder than before. 

“Kakashi, no…”

“Why not?”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“By what?”

“To know you’re remembering it for eternity in crystal-clear clarity?” Your eyes drifted downwards, to the edge of his mask, only to instantly jump upwards again. “Yes. That makes me feel… shy.”

There was no need to be shy. You were special. Special in a way Kakashi couldn’t even begin to describe. Before he could find the words though, you already pushed forward, still smiling and handing him the plate with the steaming hot omelette. “Besides, there’s something even more interesting here. See?” You pushed the plate into his hands. “Food. It will be good to get something to eat. Go on. I promise I didn’t do anything to it.”

“Except for making it delicious?”

“Of course,” politely, you turned away when he reached upwards to hook his fingertips into the rims of his mask, “everything _but_ that.”

A lie. The omelette was delicious. Tomatoes, cheese and some green and yellow bell peppers. Colorful, bright, fun. So much like you that he had to grin widely when he took the very first bite.

Too little salt. That was the first thing that came to his mind. You used some milk and cheese to give a bit more flavor to the egg mass, but didn’t add more salt. Adorable. He was grinning while eating the breakfast made by his girlfriend. His girlfriend; his home; a person he could trust. 

It was so hard to truly believe in that concept. After so long of not having a family… So, so long. He had one sip of his green tea (which was perfectly brewed) and you continued to talk, not caring that you were talking to a wall and not to Kakashi himself. 

“I heard… You were talking. In your sleep.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. You talked… a lot. A whole lot. About…”

“About what?” Another sip at his tea.

“About me. You begged someone to let me go. That you would take the torture meant for me and… be in my place.”

Kakashi froze. So, some of his nightmares touched the outerworld. He hadn’t talked in his sleep in years. That didn’t happen since… 

“Oh.” His hands lowered itself into his lap, clutching the cup between his fingers. “Oh… That…”

“I even climbed into your bed, because… I thought it would help,” you said. 

The grip around the cup tightened. “Yeah. Yeah, I noticed you did that.”

“You seemed… really distraught.”

“I was.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Did he? For a moment, Kakashi considered your offer. Certainly tempting, to open himself up. But no. Not now, not anytime soon. This would be too fast, too much at once. 

“Not now,” he admitted, “but… when I’m ready.”

“That’s fine.” You didn’t press the issue, and he loved you even more for it. “I just have to say… You’re a really needy cuddler.”

The sudden change of topic made his head spin. Nobody ever told him that. Such a normal thing to say, such a simple compliment. Was it a compliment?

“Are you telling me that,” quickly, Kakashi pulled his mask back up, “or are you complaining about it?”

“A bit of both?” You shrugged. “Seriously though, you were like an octopus. Really clingy. I was worried this morning if I would be able to get up. You were wrapped around me so tightly I had to replace myself with the blankets.”

“I didn’t notice. You can turn around now, if you want.”

“I noticed that, yes.” Yes, the smile in your voice went up to your eyes, crinkled the corners and made his heart flutter. “And thanks. The wall is kind of boring to look at.”

“I figured as much.” 

The following silence was comfortable. You had brought your own tea on the tray, which you now took into your hands and twirled the cup slowly in your palm, with half-closed eyes and the smile never fully leaving your face. It was nice. Kakashi smiled to himself. Lately, he did that a lot. Smiling. 

Another unusual occurrence. For the teenager who lost his family and friends one by one, smiling certainly hadn’t been in the range of his abilities. As an adult, he didn’t have that many opportunities either, to smile and be happy, but now…

Now, you were here. 

“This,” the words tumbled out of his mouth, uncontrolled and silent at the same time, “this is… more than I ever asked for. More than I ever hoped for.”

He pushed it all on the injury and the weak dizziness that was still hanging over his mind. Otherwise, Kakashi would never say all these things out loud; the confessions he would’ve kept inside for all his life and to his grave if necessary. “I’m… really grateful you’re here for me today. That you were there for me last night. It… it means a lot to me.”

Way more than he would’ve revealed if he wasn’t still under the influence of his injury. And yet, Kakashi couldn’t bring himself to regret it, not when he saw how your eyes lit up and the softest smile melted his heart into a puddle. How dare you for being so comforting, soft, and adorable. How dare you for making Kakashi smile and actually dream again about a home, a family, someone to come home to—

Someone worth having some self-preservation for on future missions. 

“No problem,” you answered, still smiling in that special way which made Kakashi’s heart beat skyrocket, “it was my pleasure. After all,” he worried only a little bit when your smile turned mischievous, “I got to know you’re absolutely adorable when you have a fever. Tell me when you’re sick or injured next time, I will definitely come over and take care of you again.”

He felt his smile stretch wider at her cheeky tone. “That sounds… good.”

 _Absolutely fantastic. Wonderful. Lovely._ So many words spooked through Kakashi’s mind and he kept them all inside. The only thing showing how much he loved the mere possibility of that was the smile tugging at the corners of his lips underneath the mask and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. 

If this was what a home was supposed to feel like, he definitely would’ve to come back safe and sound every time he went out. Worrying you was the last thing on his mind and something he absolutely never wanted to do.

“And Kakashi…”

“Yes?”

His eyes met yours. There was something standing inside them, so deep and meaningful yet a bit scary that Kakashi nearly broke the loose connection of the mere glance. Yet, he couldn’t do it. Couldn’t look away when you reached up to tuck a loose strand of your hair behind your ear, all the while your other hand ever so carefully reached over to grab one of his hands.

You smiled again at him, so obviously grateful Kakashi felt tears well in his eyes. “Welcome back, Kakashi. Welcome home. Thanks for keeping your promise.”

At this very moment, Kakashi had never been more grateful for being alive. To hear these very words once again was more than he ever asked for. His throat was tight and he felt like laughing, crying, _anything_ , but he kept quiet. Just a weak tightening of his hand, indicating he listened and heard your words. 

...that there was a small tear soaking in the hem of his mask; that would stay Kakashi’s secret. 

Another silence overcame the both of you. It was nothing but comforting; to feel the palm of your hand rub against the back of his, your fingers sliding back and forth to comfort him, but over time, there was a question gnawing at Kakashi’s mind—a really meaningful, important, heavy question.

“Hey… (Y/N)..”

“Yes?” Your voice was soft, warm, a bit throaty. Promising more comfort than Kakashi ever imagined handling.

nevertheless, he pressed on. “Do you think…?”

“Yeah?”

“That there’s a small chance?”

“For what?”

“That you might…?” Gods, why was he so tongue-tied? It wasn’t _that_ hard just to ask for something that small!

“Just spit it out Kakashi, I promise I won’t bite.”

The moment of truth. Another deep breath in, then the words tumbled out of his mouth like a waterfall. “That we… might cuddle? Again? Now?”

You fell silent. The following moments were nerve wracking for Kakashi. Fuck, he couldn’t even read your facial expressions, as they were as blank as a new piece of paper. Then, after decades (or so it felt to Kakashi), you tilted your head ever so slightly to the right, your eyes crinkling and lips lifting. “You absolute dork of a man.” 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Though, your teasing tone gave him hope for his indeed silly request. And when you stood up from your chair, only to peel back his blankets to slide into the space next to him, Kakashi happily allowed you to arrange him to your liking, until he was safe and sound in your arms and closed his eyes to enjoy the embrace to the fullest.

“I would love to. I really, really would love to,” you whispered into his ear, your warm breath ghosting over his earshell, while the soft rise and fall of your chest against his back soothed Kakashi back to sleep,

 _I could really get used to this_ , was his last thought before the familiar blackness enveloped his mind. _I could_ really _get used to this feeling._

**Author's Note:**

> All the Kudos, Honor and Glory to Chisie, who again helped me a lot with this request <3
> 
> "Hi!! I love your writing so much! Do you mind if I make a request here? I don't have Tumblr...If possible, do you mind writing a story where the reader takes care of Kakashi when he has a fever induced nightmare? Or some sort of comfort fic where the reader takes care of him. I kind of feel bad for Kakashi since he seems to have so little support in the anime."


End file.
